Search results for: food safety

Authors: Narayan Moger, Divya B., Preethi Jambagi, Krishnaveni C. K., Apsana M. R., B. R. Patil, Basvaraj Bagewadi

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Salinity is one of the major threats to world food security. Considering the requirement for salt tolerant crop plants in the present study was undertaken to clone and transferred the salt tolerant ectA gene from marine ecosystem into agriculture crop system to impart salinity tolerance. Ectoine is the compatible solute which accumulates in the cell membrane, is known to be involved in salt tolerance activity in most of the Halophiles. The present situation is insisting to development of salt tolerant transgenic lines to combat abiotic stress. In this background, the investigation was conducted to develop transgenic tomato lines by cloning and transferring of ectA gene is an ectoine derivative capable of enzymatic action for the production of acetyl-diaminobutyric acid. The gene ectA is involved in maintaining the osmotic balance of plants. The PCR amplified ectA gene (579bp) was cloned into T/A cloning vector (pTZ57R/T). The construct pDBJ26 containing ectA gene was sequenced by using gene specific forward and reverse primers. Sequence was analyzed using BLAST algorithm to check similarity of ectA gene with other isolates. Highest homology of 99.66 per cent was found with ectA gene sequences of isolates Halomonas elongata with the available sequence information in NCBI database. The ectA gene was further sub cloned into pRI101-AN plant expression vector and transferred into E. coli DH5α for its maintenance. Further pDNM27 was mobilized into A. tumefaciens LBA4404 through tri-parental mating system. The recombinant Agrobacterium containing pDNM27 was transferred into tomato plants through In planta plant transformation method. Out of 300 seedlings, co-cultivated only twenty-seven plants were able to well establish under the greenhouse condition. Among twenty-seven transformants only twelve plants showed amplification with gene specific primers. Further work must be extended to evaluate the transformants at T1 and T2 generations for ectoine accumulation, salinity tolerance, plant growth and development and yield.

Keywords: salinity, computable solutes, ectA, transgenic, in planta transformation

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Authors: Muhammad Yasir Tarar

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Background: Intraarticular steroid injections are an effective option in alleviating the symptoms of conditions like osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, crystal arthropathy, and rotator cuff tendinopathy. Most of these injections are conducted in the elderly who are on polypharmacy, including anticoagulants at times. Up to 6% of patients aged 80-84 years have been reported to be taking Warfarin. The literature availability on safety quotient for patients undergoing intraarticular injections on Warfarin is scarce. It has remained debatable over the years which approach is safe for these patients. Continuing warfarin has a theoretical bleeding risk, and stopping it can lead to even severe life-threatening thromboembolic events in high-risk patients. Objectives: To evaluate the risk of bleeding complications in patients on warfarin undergoing intraarticular injections or arthrocentesis. Study Design & Methods: A literature search of MEDLINE (1946 to present), EMBASE (1974 to present), and Cochrane CENTRAL (1988 to present) databases were conducted using any combination of the keywords, Injection, Knee, Shoulder, Joint, Intraarticular, arthrocentesis, Warfarin, and Anticoagulation in November 2020 for articles published in any language with no publication year limit. The study inclusion criteria included reporting on the rate of bleeding complications following injection of the knee or shoulder in patients on warfarin treatment. Randomized control trials and prospective and retrospective study designs were included. An electronic standardized Performa for data extraction was made. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) the methodology was used. The articles were appraised using the methodological index for nonrandomized studies. The Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool used to assess the risk of bias in included RCTs and the MINORS tool for assessment of bias in observational studies. Results: The search of databases resulted in a total of 852 articles. Relevant articles as per the inclusion criteria were shortlisted, 7 articles deemed suitable to be include. A total of 1033 joints sample size was undertaken with specified knee and shoulder joints of a total of 820. Only 6 joints had bleeding complications, 5 early bleeding at the time of injection or aspiration, and one late bleeding complication with INR of 5, additionally, 2 patients complained of bruising, 3 of pain, and 1 managed for infection. Conclusions: The results of the metanalysis show that it is relatively safe to perform intraarticular injections in patients on Warfarin regardless of the INR range.

Keywords: arthrocentesis, warfarin, bleeding, injection

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Authors: Zelal Polat, Şebnem Harsa, Semra Ülkü

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Lactic acid exists in nature optically in two forms, L(+), D(-)-lactic acid, and has been used in food, leather, textile, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Moreover, L(+)-lactic acid constitutes the raw material for the production of poly-L-lactic acid which is used in biomedical applications. Microbially produced lactic acid was aimed to be recovered from the fermentation media efficiently and economically. Among the various downstream operations, ion exchange chromatography is highly selective and yields a low cost product recovery within a short period of time. In this project, Lactobacillus casei NRRL B-441 was used for the production of L(+)-lactic acid from whey by fermentation at pH 5.5 and 37°C that took 12 hours. The product concentration was 50 g/l with 100% L(+)-lactic acid content. Next, the suitable resin was selected due to its high sorption capacity with rapid equilibrium behavior. Dowex marathon WBA, weakly basic anion exchanger in OH form reached the equilibrium in 15 minutes. The batch adsorption experiments were done approximately at pH 7.0 and 30°C and sampling was continued for 20 hours. Furthermore, the effect of temperature and pH was investigated and their influence was found to be unimportant. All the adsorption/desorption experiments were applied to both model lactic acid and biomass free fermentation broth. The ion exchange equilibria of lactic acid and L(+)-lactic acid in fermentation broth on Dowex marathon WBA was explained by Langmuir isotherm. The maximum exchange capacity (qm) for model lactic acid was 0.25 g La/g wet resin and for fermentation broth 0.04 g La/g wet resin. The equilibrium loading and exchange efficiency of L(+)-lactic acid in fermentation broth were reduced as a result of competition by other ionic species. The competing ions inhibit the binding of L(+)-lactic acid to the free sites of ion exchanger. Moreover, column operations were applied to recover adsorbed lactic acid from the ion exchanger. 2.0 M HCl was the suitable eluting agent to recover the bound L(+)-lactic acid with a flowrate of 1 ml/min at ambient temperature. About 95% of bound L(+)-lactic acid was recovered from Dowex marathon WBA. The equilibrium was reached within 15 minutes. The aim of this project was to investigate the purification of L(+)-lactic acid with ion exchange method from fermentation broth. The additional goals were to investigate the end product purity, to obtain new data on the adsorption/desorption behaviours of lactic acid and applicability of the system in industrial usage.

Keywords: fermentation, ion exchange, lactic acid, purification, whey

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Authors: Xiao Wang, Qinge Zhang

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Background: This randomized, open-label study examined the therapeutic effects of computerized cognitive training (CCT) combined with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) on cognitive impairment among patients with late-life depression (LLD). Method: Study data were collected from May 5, 2021, to April 21, 2023. Outpatients who met diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder according to the fifth revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria (i.e., a total score on the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) ≥ 18 and a total score on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment scale (MOCA) <26) were randomly assigned to receive up to 12 weeks of CCT and SSRIs treatment (n=57) or SSRIs and Control treatment (n=61). The primary outcome was the change in Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog) scores from baseline to week 12 between the two groups. The secondary outcomes included changes in the HAMD-17 score, Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) score and Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) score. Mixed model repeated measures (MMRM) analysis was performed on modified intention-to-treat (mITT) and completer populations. Results: The full analysis set (FAS) included 118 patients (CCT and SSRIs group, n=57; SSRIs and Control group, n =61). Over the 12-week study period, the reduction in the ADAS-cog total score was significant (P < 0.001) in both groups, while MMRM analysis revealed a significantly greater reduction in cognitive function (ADAS-cog total scores) from baseline to posttreatment in the CCT and SSRIs group than in the SSRI and Control group [(F (1,115) =13.65, least-squares mean difference [95% CI]: −2.77 [−3.73, −1.81], p<0.001)]. There were significantly greater improvements in depression symptoms (measured by the HAMD-17) in the CCT and SSRIs group than in the control group [MMRM, estimated mean difference (SE) between groups −3.59 [−5.02, −2.15], p < 0.001]. The least-squares mean changes in the HAMA scores and NPI scores between baseline and week 8 were greater in the CCT and SSRIs group than in the control group (all P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between groups on response rates and remission rates by using the last-observation-carried-forward (LOCF) method (all P > 0.05). The most frequent adverse events (AEs) in both groups were dry mouth, somnolence, and constipation. There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse events between the two groups. Conclusions: CCT combined with SSRIs was efficacious and well tolerated in LLD patients with cognitive impairment.

Keywords: late-life depression, cognitive function, computerized cognitive training, SSRIs

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Authors: Nursultan Turdakyn, Alisher Medeubayev, Didar Meiramov, Zhibek Bekezhankyzy, Desmond Adair, Gulnur Kalimuldina

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In recent years the development of sustainable energy sources is getting extensive research interest due to the ever-growing demand for energy. As an alternative energy source to power small electronic devices, ambient energy harvesting from vibration or human body motion is considered a potential candidate. Despite the enormous progress in the field of battery research in terms of safety, lifecycle and energy density in about three decades, it has not reached the level to conveniently power wearable electronic devices such as smartwatches, bands, hearing aids, etc. For this reason, the development of self-charging power units with excellent flexibility and integrated energy harvesting and storage is crucial. Self-powering is a key idea that makes it possible for the system to operate sustainably, which is now getting more acceptance in many fields in the area of sensor networks, the internet of things (IoT) and implantable in-vivo medical devices. For solving this energy harvesting issue, the self-powering nanogenerators (NGS) were proposed and proved their high effectiveness. Usually, sustainable power is delivered through energy harvesting and storage devices by connecting them to the power management circuit; as for energy storage, the Li-ion battery (LIB) is one of the most effective technologies. Through the movement of Li ions under the driving of an externally applied voltage source, the electrochemical reactions generate the anode and cathode, storing the electrical energy as the chemical energy. In this paper, we present a simultaneous process of converting the mechanical energy into chemical energy in a way that NG and LIB are combined as an all-in-one power system. The electrospinning method was used as an initial step for the development of such a system with a β-PVDF separator. The obtained film showed promising voltage output at different stress frequencies. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis showed a high percentage of β phase of PVDF polymer material. Moreover, it was found that the addition of 1 wt.% of BTO (Barium Titanate) results in higher quality fibers. When comparing pure PVDF solution with 20 wt.% content and the one with BTO added the latter was more viscous. Hence, the sample was electrospun uniformly without any beads. Lastly, to test the sensor application of such film, a particular testing device has been developed. With this device, the force of a finger tap can be applied at different frequencies so that electrical signal generation is validated.

Keywords: electrospinning, nanogenerators, piezoelectric PVDF, self-charging li-ion batteries

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Authors: Simiksha Balkissoon, Jerome Andrew, Bruce Sithole

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Approximately half of the wood processed in the Forestry, Timber, Pulp and Paper (FTPP) sector is accumulated as waste. The concept of a “green economy” encourages industries to employ revolutionary, transformative technologies to eliminate waste generation by exploring the development of new value chains. The transition towards an almost paperless world driven by the rise of digital media has resulted in a decline in traditional paper markets, prompting the FTTP sector to reposition itself and expand its product offerings by unlocking the potential of value-adding opportunities from renewable resources such as wood to generate revenue and mitigate its environmental impact. The production of valuable products from wood waste such as sawdust has been extensively explored in recent years. Wood components such as lignin, cellulose and hemicelluloses, which can be extracted selectively by chemical processing, are suitable candidates for producing numerous high-value products. In this study, a novel approach to produce high-value cellulose products, such as dissolving wood pulp (DWP), from sawdust was developed. DWP is a high purity cellulose product used in several applications such as pharmaceutical, textile, food, paint and coatings industries. The proposed approach demonstrates the potential to eliminate several complex processing stages, such as pulping and bleaching, which are associated with traditional commercial processes to produce high purity cellulose products such as DWP, making it less chemically energy and water-intensive. The developed process followed the path of experimentally designed lab tests evaluating typical processing conditions such as residence time, chemical concentrations, liquid-to-solid ratios and temperature, followed by the application of suitable purification steps. Characterization of the product from the initial stage was conducted using commercially available DWP grades as reference materials. The chemical characteristics of the products thus far have shown similar properties to commercial products, making the proposed process a promising and viable option for the production of DWP from sawdust.

Keywords: biomass, cellulose, chemical treatment, dissolving wood pulp

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Authors: V. S. Manivasagam, R. Nagarajan

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Modeling the soil, water and crop growth interactions are attaining major importance, considering the future climate change and water availability for agriculture to meet the growing food demand. Progress in understanding the crop growth response during water stress period through crop modeling approach provides an opportunity for improving and sustaining the future agriculture water use efficiency. An attempt has been made to evaluate the potential use of crop modeling approach for assessing the minimal supplementary irrigation requirement for crop growth during water limited condition and its practical significance in sustainable improvement of crop yield and water productivity. Among the numerous crop models, water driven-AquaCrop model has been chosen for the present study considering the modeling approach and water stress impact on yield simulation. The study has been evaluated in rainfed maize grown area of semi-arid Shanmuganadi watershed (a tributary of the Cauvery river system) located in southern India during the rabi cropping season (October-February). In addition to actual rainfed maize growth simulation, irrigated maize scenarios were simulated for assessing the supplementary irrigation requirement during water shortage condition for the period 2012-2015. The simulation results for rainfed maize have shown that the average maize yield of 0.5-2 t ha-1 was observed during deficit monsoon season (<350 mm) whereas 5.3 t ha-1 was noticed during sufficient monsoonal period (>350 mm). Scenario results for irrigated maize simulation during deficit monsoonal period has revealed that 150-200 mm of supplementary irrigation has ensured the 5.8 t ha-1 of irrigated maize yield. Thus, study results clearly portrayed that minimal application of supplementary irrigation during the critical growth period along with the deficit rainfall has increased the crop water productivity from 1.07 to 2.59 kg m-3 for major soil types. Overall, AquaCrop is found to be very effective for the sustainable irrigation assessment considering the model simplicity and minimal inputs requirement.

Keywords: AquaCrop, crop modeling, rainfed maize, water stress

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Authors: Kara J. Coffman-Rea, Karen E. Samonds

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Microplastic pollution is an urgent global threat to our planet and human health. Microplastic particles have been detected within our food, water, and atmosphere, and found within the human stool, placenta, and lung tissue. However, most spectrometric microplastic detection methods require chemical digestion which can alter or destroy microplastic particles and makes it impossible to acquire information about their in-situ distribution. MALDI TOF MS (Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry) is an analytical method using a soft ionization technique that can be used for polymer analysis. This method provides a valuable opportunity to both acquire information regarding the in-situ distribution of microplastics and also minimizes the destructive element of chemical digestion. In addition, MALDI TOF MS allows for expanded analysis of the microplastics including detection of specific additives that may be present within them. MALDI TOF MS is particularly sensitive to sample preparation and has not yet been used to analyze environmental microplastics within their specific location (e.g., biological tissues, sediment, water). In this study, microplastics were created using polyethylene gloves, polystyrene micro-foam, and polyethylene terephthalate cable sleeving. Plastics were frozen using liquid nitrogen and ground to obtain small fragments. An artificial tissue was created using a cellulose sponge as scaffolding coated with a MaxGel Extracellular Matrix to simulate human lung tissue. Optimal preparation techniques (e.g., matrix, cationization reagent, solvent, mixing ratio, laser intensity) were first established for each specific polymer type. The artificial tissue sample was subsequently spiked with microplastics, and specific polymers were detected using MALDI-TOF-MS. This study presents a novel method for the detection of environmental polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polystyrene microplastics within a complex sample. Results of this study provide an effective method that can be used in future microplastics research and can aid in determining the potential threats to environmental and human health that they pose.

Keywords: environmental plastic pollution, MALDI-TOF MS, microplastics, polymer identification

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Authors: Mohamed Benaddou, Mohammed Diouri

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country, such as Morocco, generates a high quantity of agricultural and food industry residues. A large portion of these residues is disposed of by burning or landfilling. The valorization of this waste biomass as feed is an interesting alternative because it is therefore considered among the best sources of cheap carbohydrates. However, its nutritional yield without any pre-treatment is very low because lignin protects cellulose, the carbohydrate used as a source of energy by ruminants. Fungal treatment is an environmentally friendly, easy and inexpensive method. This study investigated the treatment of wheat straw (WS), cedar sawdust (CS) and olive pomace (OP) with fungi selected according to the source of Carbon for improving its digestibility. Two were selected in a culture medium in which cellulose was the only source of Carbon: Cosmospora Viridescens (C.vir) and Penicillium crustosum (P.crus), two were selected in a culture medium in which lignin is the only source of Carbon: Fusarium oxysporum (F.oxy) and Fusarium sp. (F. Sp), and two in a culture medium where cellulose and lignin are the two sources of Carbon at the same time: Fusarium solani (F. solani) and Penicillium chrysogenum (P.chryso). P.chryso degraded more CS cellulose. It is very important to notice that the delignification by F. Solani reached 70% after 12 weeks of treatment of wheat straw. Ligninase enzymatic was detected in F.solani, F.sp, F.oxysporum, which made it possible to delignify the treated substrates. Delignification by C.vir is negligible in all three substrates after 12 weeks of treatment. P.crus and P.chryso degraded the lignin very slightly in WC (it did not exceed 12% after 12 weeks of treatment) but in OP this delignification is slight reaching 25% and 13% for P.chryso and P.crus successively. P.chryso allowed 30% degradation of lignin from 4 weeks of treatment. The degradation of the lignin was able to reach the maximum within 8 weeks of treatment for most of the fungi except F. solani who continued the treatment after this period. Digestibility variation (IVTD.variation) is highly very significant from fungus to fungi, duration to time, substrate to substrate and its interactions (P <0.001). indeed, all the fungi increased digestibility after 12 weeks of treatment with a difference in the degree of this increase. F.solani and F.oxy increased digestibility more than the others. this digestibility exceeded 50% in CS and O.P but did not exceed 20% for WS after treatment with F.oxy. IVTD.Var was not exceeded 20% in W.S.cedar treated with P.chryso but reached 45% after 8 weeks of treatment in W.straw.

Keywords: lignin, cellulose, digestibility, fungi, treatment, lignocellulosic biomass

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Authors: Heli Makkonen, Eini Hyppönen

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The ageing of employees, the availability of workforce, and employees’ engagement in work are today’s challenges in the field of health care and social services, and particularly in the care of older people. Therefore, it is important to enhance both the attractiveness of the work in the field of older people’s care and the retention of employees in the field, and also to pay attention to the length of careers. The length of careers can be affected, for example, by developing an age-friendly organisational culture. Changing the organisational culture in a workplace is, however, a slow process which requires engagement from employees and enhanced dialogue between employees. This article presents an example of age-friendly organisational culture in an older people’s care unit and presents the results of the development of this organisational culture to meet the identified development challenges. In this research-based development process, cycles used in action research were applied. Three workshops were arranged for employees in a service home for older people. The workshops worked as interventions, and the employees and their manager were given several consecutive assignments to be completed between them. In addition to workshops, the employees benchmarked two other service homes. In the workshops, data was collected by observing and documenting the conversations. After that, thematic analysis was used to identify the factors connected to an age-friendly organisational culture. By analysing the data and comparing it to previous studies, some dilemmas we recognised that were hindering or enhancing the attractiveness of work and the retention of employees in this nursing home. After each intervention, the process was reflected and evaluated, and the next steps were planned. The areas of development identified in the study were related to, for example, the flexibility of work, holistic ergonomics, the physical environment at the workplace, and the workplace culture. Some of the areas of development were taken over by the work community and carried out in cooperation with e.g. occupational health care. We encouraged the work community, and the employees provided us with information about their progress. In this research project, the focus was on the development of the workplace culture and, in particular, on the development of the culture of interaction. The workshops showed employees’ attitudes and strong opinions, which can be a challenge from the point of view of the attractiveness of work and the retention of employees in the field. On the other hand, the data revealed that the work community has an interest in developing the dialogue in the work community. Enhancing the dialogue gave the employees the opportunity and resources to face even challenging dilemmas related to the attractiveness of work and the retention of employees in the field. The psychological safety was also enhanced at the same time. The results of this study are part of a broader study that aims at building a model for extending older employees’ careers.

Keywords: age-friendliness, attractiveness of work, dialogue, older people, organisational culture, workplace culture

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Authors: Rangrong Yoksan, Amporn Sane, Nattaporn Khanoonkon, Chanakorn Yokesahachart, Narumol Noivoil, Khanh Minh Dang

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Polylactic acid (PLA) is the most commercially available bio-based and biodegradable plastic at present. PLA has been used in plastic related industries including single-used containers, disposable and environmentally friendly packaging owing to its renewability, compostability, biodegradability, and safety. Although PLA demonstrates reasonably good optical, physical, mechanical, and barrier properties comparable to the existing petroleum-based plastics, its brittleness and mold shrinkage as well as its price are the points to be concerned for the production of rigid and semi-rigid packaging. Blending PLA with other bio-based polymers including thermoplastic starch (TPS) is an alternative not only to achieve a complete bio-based plastic, but also to reduce the brittleness, shrinkage during molding and production cost of the PLA-based products. TPS is a material produced mainly from starch which is cheap, renewable, biodegradable, compostable, and non-toxic. It is commonly prepared by a plasticization of starch under applying heat and shear force. Although glycerol has been reported as one of the most plasticizers used for preparing TPS, its migration caused the surface stickiness of the TPS products. In some cases, mixed plasticizers or natural fibers have been applied to impede the retrogradation of starch or reduce the migration of glycerol. The introduction of fibers into TPS-based materials could reinforce the polymer matrix as well. Therefore, the objective of the present research is to study the effect of starch type (i.e. native starch and phosphate starch), plasticizer type (i.e. glycerol and xylitol with a weight ratio of glycerol to xylitol of 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100), and fiber content (i.e. in the range of 1-25 % wt) on properties of PLA/TPS blend and composite. PLA/TPS blends and composites were prepared using a twin-screw extruder and then converted into dumbbell-shaped specimens using an injection molding machine. The PLA/TPS blends prepared by using phosphate starch showed higher tensile strength and stiffness than the blends prepared by using the native one. In contrast, the blends from native starch exhibited higher extensibility and heat distortion temperature (HDT) than those from the modified starch. Increasing xylitol content resulted in enhanced tensile strength, stiffness, and water resistance, but decreased extensibility and HDT of the PLA/TPS blend. Tensile properties and hydrophobicity of the blend could be improved by incorporating silane treated-jute fibers.

Keywords: polylactic acid, thermoplastic starch, Jute fiber, composite, blend

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Authors: P. Kavuma, J. Mukasa, M. Lusunku

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Background and Problem: The widespread poverty in Africa- together with the negative impacts of climate change-are two great global challenges that call for everyone’s involvement including Architects. This in particular places serious challenges on architects to have additional skills in both Entrepreneurship and Environmental Design (SEED). Regrettably, while Architectural Training in most African Universities including those from Uganda lack comprehensive implementation of SEED in their curricula, regulatory bodies have not contributed towards the effective integration of SEED in their professional practice. In response to these challenges, Nkumba University (NU) under Architect Kavuma Paul supported by the Uganda Chambers of Architects– initiated the SEED integration in the undergraduate Architectural curricula to cultivate SEED know-how and examples of best practices. Main activities: Initiated in 2007, going beyond the traditional Architectural degree curriculum, the NU Architect department offers SEED courses including provoking passions for creating desirable positive changes in communities. Learning outcomes are assessed theoretically and practically through field projects. The first set of SEED graduates came out in 2012. As part of the NU post-graduation and alumni survey, in October 2014, the pioneer SEED graduates were contacted through automated reminder emails followed by individual, repeated personal follow-ups via email and phone. Out of the 36 graduates who responded to the survey, 24 have formed four (4) private consortium agencies of 5-7 graduates all of whom have pioneered Ugandan-own-cultivated Architectural social projects that include: fishing farming in shipping containers; solar powered mobile homes in shipping containers, solar powered retail kiosks in rural and fishing communities, and floating homes in the flood-prone areas. Primary outcomes: include being business self –reliant in creating the social change the architects desired in the communities. Examples of the SEED project returns to communities reported by the graduates include; employment creation via fabrication, retail business, marketing, improved diets, safety of life and property, decent shelter in the remote mining and oil exploration areas. Negative outcomes-though not yet evaluated include the disposal of used-up materials. Conclusion: The integration of SEED in Architectural Training has established a baseline benchmark and a replicable model based on best practice projects.

Keywords: architectural training, entrepreneurship, environment, integration

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Authors: Lubna M. Al-Otaibi

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Mucocele is a common benign neoplasm of the oral cavity and the most common after fibroma. The lesion develops as a result of retention or extravasation of mucous material from minor salivary glands. Extravasation type of mucocele results from trauma and mostly occurs in the lower lip of young patients. The various treatment options available for the treatment of mucocele are associated with a relatively high incidence of recurrence making surgical intervention necessary for a permanent cure. The conventional surgical procedure, however, arouses apprehension in the patient and is associated with bleeding and postoperative pain. Recently, treatment of mucocele with lasers has become a viable treatment option. Various types of lasers are being used and are preferable over the conventional surgical procedure as they provide good hemostasis, reduced postoperative swelling and pain, reduced bacterial population, lesser need for suturing, faster healing and low recurrence rates. Er,Cr:YSGG is a solid-state laser with great affinity to water molecule. Its hydrokinetic cutting action allows it to work effectively on hydrated tissues without any thermal damage. However, up to date, only a few studies have reported its use in the removal of lip mucocele, especially in children. In this case, a 6 year old female patient with history of trauma to the lower lip presented with a soft, sessile, whitish-bluish 4 mm papule. The lesion was present for approximately four months and was fluctuant in size. The child developed a habit of biting the lesion causing injury, bleeding and discomfort. Surgical excision under local anaesthesia was performed using 2780 nm Er,Cr:YSGG Laser (WaterLase iPlus, Irvine, CA) with a Gold handpiece and MZ6 tip (3.5w, 50 Hz, 20% H2O, 20% Air, S mode). The tip was first applied in contact mode with focused beam using the Circumferential Incision Technique (CIT) to excise the tissue followed by the removal of the underlying causative minor salivary gland. Bleeding was stopped using Laser Dry Bandage setting (0.5w, 50 Hz, 1% H2O, 20% Air, S mode) and no suturing was needed. Safety goggles were worn and high-speed suction was used for smoke evacuation. Mucocele excision using 2780 nm Er,Cr:YSGG laser was rapid, easy to perform with excellent precision and allowed for histopathological examination of the excised tissue. The patient was comfortable and there were minimum bleeding and no sutures, postoperative pain, scarring or recurrence. Laser assisted mucocele excision appears to have efficient and reliable benefits in young patients and should be considered as an alternative to conventional surgical and non-surgical techniques.

Keywords: Erbium, excision, laser, lip, mucocele

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Authors: Clinton Adas

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Antibiotic resistance has been identified by the World Health Organisation as a real possibility for the 21st Century. While many factors contribute to this, one of the more significant is industrial animal farming and its effect on the food chain and environment. Livestock consumes a significant portion of antibiotics sold globally, and these are used to make animals grow faster for profit purposes, to prevent illness caused by inhumane living conditions, and to treat disease when it breaks out. Many of these antibiotics provide little benefit to animals, and most are the same as those used by humans - including those deemed critical to human health that should therefore be used sparingly. Antibiotic resistance contributes to growing numbers of illnesses and death in humans, and the excess usage of these medications results in waste that enters the environment and is harmful to many ecological processes. This combination of antimicrobial resistance and environmental degradation furthermore harms the economic well-being and prospects of many. Using an interdisciplinary approach including medical, environmental, economic, and legal studies, the paper evaluates the dynamic between animal welfare and commerce and argues that while animal welfare is not of great concern to many, this approach is ultimately harming human welfare too. It is, however, proposed that both could be addressed under a One Health and Welfare approach, as we cannot continue to ignore the linkages between animals, the environment, and people. The evaluation of industrial animal farming is therefore considered through three aspects – the environmental impact, which is measured by pollution that causes environmental degradation; the human impact, which is measured by the rise of illnesses from pollution and antibiotics resistance; and the economic impact, which is measured through costs to the health care system and the financial implications of industrial farming on the economic well-being of many. These three aspects are considered in light of the Sustainable Development Goals that provide additional tangible metrics to evidence the negative impacts. While the research addresses the welfare of farmed animals, there is potential for these principles to be extrapolated into other contexts, including wildlife and habitat protection. It must be noted that while the question of animal rights in industrial animal farming is acknowledged and of importance, this is a separate matter that is not addressed here.

Keywords: animal and human welfare, industrial animal farming, one health and welfare, sustainable development goals

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Authors: Seunghwan Seo, Woo-Seok Lee, Ji-Sun Shin, Young Kyoung Rhee, Chang-Won Cho, Hee-Do Hong, Kyung-Tae Lee

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Doenjang, known as traditional Korean food, is product of a natural mixed fermentation process carried out by lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Lactobacillus sakei K040706 (K040706) has been accepted as the most populous LAB in over ripened doenjang. Recently, we reported the immunostimulatory effects of K040706 in RAW 264.7 macrophages and in a cyclophosphamide-induced mouse model. In this study, we investigated the ameliorative effects of K040706 in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mouse model. We induced colitis using DSS in 5-week-ICR mice over 14 days with or without 0.1, 1 g/kg/day K040706 orally. The body weight, stool consistency, and gross bleeding were recorded for determination of the disease activity index (DAI). At the end of treatment, animals were sacrificed and colonic tissues were collected and subjected to histological experiments and myeloperoxidase (MPO) accumulation, cytokine determination, qRT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Results showed that K040706 significantly attenuated DSS-induced DAI score, shortening of colon length, enlargement of spleen and immune cell infiltrations into colonic tissues. Histological examinations indicated that K040706 suppressed edema, mucosal damage, and the loss of crypts induced by DSS. These results were correlated with the restoration of tight junction protein expression, such as, ZO-1 and occludin in K040706-treated mice. Moreover, K040706 reduced the abnormal secretions and mRNA expressions of pro-inflammatory mediators, such as nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). DSS-induced mRNA expression of intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM) and vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM) in colonic tissues was also downregulated by K040706 treatment. Furthermore, K040706 suppressed the protein and mRNA expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and phosphorylation of NF-κB and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). These results suggest that K040706 has an anti-colitic effect by inhibition of intestinal inflammatory responses in DSS-induced colitic mice.

Keywords: Lactobacillus sakei, NF-κB, STAT3, ulcerative colitis

Procedia PDF Downloads 312

Authors: Vilas Warudkar, Dinkar Janghel, Siraj Ahmed

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Rapid development experienced by India requires huge amount of energy. Actual supply capacity additions have been consistently lower than the targets set by the government. According to World Bank 40% of residences are without electricity. In 12th five year plan 30 GW grid interactive renewable capacity is planned in which 17 GW is Wind, 10 GW is from solar and 2.1 GW from small hydro project, and rest is compensated by bio gas. Renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) meet not only the environmental and energy security objectives, but also can play a crucial role in reducing chronic power shortages. In remote areas or areas with a weak grid, wind energy can be used for charging batteries or can be combined with a diesel engine to save fuel whenever wind is available. India according to IEC 61400-1 belongs to class IV Wind Condition; it is not possible to set up wind turbine in large scale at every place. So, the best choice is to go for small scale wind turbine at lower height which will have good annual energy production (AEP). Based on the wind characteristic available at MANIT Bhopal, rotor for small scale wind turbine is designed. Various Aero foil data is reviewed for selection of airfoil in the Blade Profile. Airfoil suited of Low wind conditions i.e. at low Reynold’s number is selected based on Coefficient of Lift, Drag and angle of attack. For designing of the rotor blade, standard Blade Element Momentum (BEM) Theory is implanted. Performance of the Blade is estimated using BEM theory in which axial induction factor and angular induction factor is optimized using iterative technique. Rotor performance is estimated for particular designed blade specifically for low wind Conditions. Power production of rotor is determined at different wind speeds for particular pitch angle of the blade. At pitch 15o and velocity 5 m/sec gives good cut in speed of 2 m/sec and power produced is around 350 Watts. Tip speed of the Blade is considered as 6.5 for which Coefficient of Performance of the rotor is calculated 0.35, which is good acceptable value for Small scale Wind turbine. Simple Load Model (SLM, IEC 61400-2) is also discussed to improve the structural strength of the rotor. In SLM, Edge wise Moment and Flap Wise moment is considered which cause bending stress at the root of the blade. Various Load case mentioned in the IEC 61400-2 is calculated and checked for the partial safety factor of the wind turbine blade.

Keywords: annual energy production, Blade Element Momentum Theory, low wind Conditions, selection of airfoil

Procedia PDF Downloads 321

Authors: Abram Zoltan

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Over the past hundred years, human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, have released enough carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to dissipate additional heat into the lower atmosphere and affect the global climate. Climate change affects many social and environmental determinants of health: clean air, safe drinking water, and adequate food. Our aim is to draw attention to the effects of climate change on the health and health care system. Improving climate awareness and the knowledge related to climate change's health impacts are essential among medical students and practicing medical doctors. Therefore, in their everyday practice, they also need some assistance and up-to-date knowledge of how climate change can endanger human health and deal with these novel health problems. Our activity, based on the cooperation of more universities, aims to develop new curriculum outlines and learning materials on climate change's health impacts for medical schools. Special attention is intended to pay to the possible preventative measures against these impacts. For all of this, the project plans to create new curriculum outlines and learning materials for medical students, elaborate methodological guidelines and create training materials for medical doctors' postgraduate learning programs. The target groups of the project are medical students, educational staff of medical schools and universities, practicing medical doctors with special attention to the general practitioners and family doctors. We had searched various surveys, domestic and international studies about the effects of climate change and statistical estimation of the possible consequences. The health effects of climate change can be measured only approximately by considering only a fraction of the potential health effects and assuming continued economic growth and health progress. We can estimate that climate change is expected to cause about 250,000 more deaths. We conclude that climate change is one of the most serious problems of the 21st century, affecting all populations. In the short- to medium-term, the health effects of climate change will be determined mainly by human vulnerability. In the longer term, the effects depend increasingly on the extent to which transformational action is taken now to reduce emissions. We can contribute to reducing environmental pollution by raising awareness and by educating the population.

Keywords: climate change, health impacts, medical students, education

Procedia PDF Downloads 107

Authors: Mariam Shalaby, Kayla Krause, Raisha Ismail, Daniel George

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Introduction: The Pennsylvania State College of Medicine Refugee Initiative is a student-run organization that works with eleven Syrian and Congolese refugee families. Since 2016, it has used grant funding to make weekly produce purchases at a local market, provide tutoring services, and develop trusting relationships. This case study explains how the Refugee Initiative shifted focus to face new challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Methodology: When refugees who had previously attained stability found themselves unable to pay the bills, the organization shifted focus from food security to direct assistance such as applying for unemployment compensation since many had recently lost jobs. When refugee families additionally struggled to access hygiene supplies, funding was redirected to purchase them. Funds were also raised from the community to provide financial relief from unpaid rent and bills. Findings: Systemic challenges were encountered in navigating federal/state unemployment and social welfare systems, and there was a conspicuous absence of affordable, language-accessible assistance that could help refugees. Finally, as struggling public schools failed to maintain adequate English as a Second Language (ESL) education, the group’s tutoring services were hindered by social distancing and inconsistent access to distance-learning platforms. Conclusion: Ultimately, the pandemic highlighted that a charity-based arrangement is helpful but not sustainable, and challenges persist for refugee families. Based on the Refugee Initiative's experiences over the past year of the COVID-19 pandemic, several needs must be addressed to aid refugee families at this time, including: increased access to affordable and language-accessible social services, educational resources, and simpler options for grant-based financial assistance. Interventions to increase these resources will aid refugee families in need in Central Pennsylvania and internationally

Keywords: COVID-19, health, pandemic, refugees

Procedia PDF Downloads 107

Authors: Bonnie Clough, Tamara Ownsworth, Vladimir Estivill-Castro, Matt Stainer, Rene Hexel, Andrew Bulmer, Wendy Moyle, Allison Waters, David Neumann, Jayke Bennett

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The success of global vaccination programs is reliant on the uptake of vaccines to achieve herd immunity. Yet, many individuals do not obtain vaccines or venipuncture procedures when needed. Whilst health education may be effective for those individuals who are hesitant due to safety or efficacy concerns, for many of these individuals, the primary concern relates to blood or injection fear or phobia (BII). BII is highly prevalent and associated with a range of negative health impacts, both at individual and population levels. Exposure therapy is an efficacious treatment for specific phobias, including BII, but has high patient dropout and low implementation by therapists. Whilst virtual reality approaches exposure therapy may be more acceptable, they have similarly low rates of implementation by therapists and are often difficult to tailor to an individual client’s needs. It was proposed that a piloted robot may be able to adequately facilitate fear induction and be an acceptable approach to exposure therapy. The current study examined fear induction responses, acceptability, and feasibility of a piloted robot for BII exposure. A Nao humanoid robot was programmed to connect with a virtual reality head-mounted display, enabling live streaming and exploration of real environments from a distance. Thirty adult participants with BII fear were randomly assigned to robot-pilot or virtual reality exposure conditions in a laboratory-based fear exposure task. All participants also completed a computer-based two-dimensional exposure task, with an order of conditions counterbalanced across participants. Measures included fear (heart rate variability, galvanic skin response, stress indices, and subjective units of distress), engagement with a feared stimulus (eye gaze: time to first fixation and a total number of fixations), acceptability, and perceived treatment credibility. Preliminary results indicate that fear responses can be adequately induced via a robot-piloted platform. Further results will be discussed, as will implications for the treatment of BII phobia and other fears. It is anticipated that piloted robots may provide a useful platform for facilitating exposure therapy, being more acceptable than in-vivo exposure and more flexible than virtual reality exposure.

Keywords: anxiety, digital mental health, exposure therapy, phobia, robot, virtual reality

Procedia PDF Downloads 62

Authors: Nolitha L. Skenjana, Bongani P. Kubheka, Maxwell A. Poswal

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The Eastern Cape Province of South Africa is characterized by subsistence farming, which is mostly distributed in the rural areas of the province. It is estimated that cereal crops such as maize and sorghum, and vegetables such as cabbage are grown in more than 400.000 rural households, with maize being the most dominant crop. However, compared to commercial agriculture, small-scale farmers receive minimal support from research and development, limited technology transfer on the latest production practices and systems and have poor production infrastructure and equipment. Similarly, there is limited farmers' appreciation on best practices in insect pest management and control. The paper presents findings from the primary literature and personal observations on insect pest management practices of small-scale farmers in the province. Inferences from literature and personal experiences in the production areas have led to a number of deductions regarding the level of exposure and extent of vulnerability. Farmers' pest management practices, which included not controlling at all though there is a pest problem, resulted in their crop stands to be more vulnerable to pest attacks. This became more evident with the recent brown locust, African armyworm, and Fall armyworm outbreaks, and with the incidences of opportunistic phytophagous insects previously collected on wild hosts only, found causing serious damages on crops. In most of these occurrences, damage to crops resulted in low or no yield. Improvements on farmers' reaction and response to pest problems were only observed in areas where focused awareness campaigns and trainings on specific pests and their management techniques were done. This then calls for a concerted effort from all role players in the sphere of small-scale crop production, to train and equip farmers with relevant skills, and provide them with information on affordable and climate-smart strategies and technologies in order to create a state of preparedness. This is necessary for the prevention of substantial crop losses that may exacerbate food insecurity in the province.

Keywords: Eastern Cape Province, small-scale farmers, insect pest management, vulnerability

Procedia PDF Downloads 122

Authors: Kristina Pflug, Markus Busch

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Being able to predict polymer properties and processing behavior based on the applied operating reaction conditions in one of the key challenges in modern polymer reaction engineering. Especially, for cost-intensive processes such as the high-pressure polymerization of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) with high safety-requirements, the need for simulation-based process optimization and product design is high. A multi-scale modelling approach was set-up and validated via a series of high-pressure mini-plant autoclave reactor experiments. The approach starts with the numerical modelling of the complex reaction network of the LDPE polymerization taking into consideration the actual reaction conditions. While this gives average product properties, the complex polymeric microstructure including random short- and long-chain branching is calculated via a hybrid Monte Carlo-approach. Finally, the processing behavior of LDPE -its melt flow behavior- is determined in dependence of the previously determined polymeric microstructure using the branch on branch algorithm for randomly branched polymer systems. All three steps of the multi-scale modelling approach can be independently validated against analytical data. A triple-detector GPC containing an IR, viscosimetry and multi-angle light scattering detector is applied. It serves to determine molecular weight distributions as well as chain-length dependent short- and long-chain branching frequencies. 13C-NMR measurements give average branching frequencies, and rheological measurements in shear and extension serve to characterize the polymeric flow behavior. The accordance of experimental and modelled results was found to be extraordinary, especially taking into consideration that the applied multi-scale modelling approach does not contain parameter fitting of the data. This validates the suggested approach and proves its universality at the same time. In the next step, the modelling approach can be applied to other reactor types, such as tubular reactors or industrial scale. Moreover, sensitivity analysis for systematically varying process conditions is easily feasible. The developed multi-scale modelling approach finally gives the opportunity to predict and design LDPE processing behavior simply based on process conditions such as feed streams and inlet temperatures and pressures.

Keywords: low-density polyethylene, multi-scale modelling, polymer properties, reaction engineering, rheology

Procedia PDF Downloads 111

Authors: Ricardo de Oliveira Orsi, Aline Astolfi, Daniel Diego Mendes, Isabella Cristina de Castro Lippi, Jaine da Luz Scheffer, Yan Souza Lima, Juliana Lunardi, Giovanna do Padro Ribeiro, Samir Moura Kadri

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NECTAR Brazilian group (Center of Education, Science, and Technology in Rational Beekeeping) conducted studies on the pesticides honey bees effects using the transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) analyzes for gene expression studies. In this way, we analyzed the effects of Pyraclostrobin and Fipronil on the honey bees with 21 old-days (forager) in laboratory conditions. For this, frames containing sealed brood were removed from the beehives and maintenance on the stove (32°C and 75% humidity) until the bees were born. So, newly emerged workers were marked on the pronotum with a non-toxic pen and reintroduced into their original hives. After 21 days, 120 marked bees were collected with an entomological forces and immediately stored in Petri dishes, perforated to ensure ventilation, and kept fasted for 3 hours. These honeybees were exposed to food contaminated or not with the sublethal dose of Pyraclostrobin (850 ppb/bee) or Fipronil (2.5 ppb/bee). After four hours of exposure, 15 bees from each treatment were referred to transcriptome analysis. Total RNA analysis was extracted from the brain pools (03 brains per pool) using the TRIzol® reagent protocol according to the manufacturer's instructions. cDNA libraries were constructed, and the FASTQC program was used to check adapter content and assess the quality of raw reads. Differential expression analysis was performed with the DESeq2 package. Genes that had an adjusted value of less than 0.05 were considered to be significantly up-regulated. Regarding the Pyraclostrobin, alterations were observed in the pattern of 17 gene related to of antioxidant system, cellular respiration, glucose metabolism, and regulation of juvenile hormone and the hormone insulin. Glyphosate altered the 10 gene related to the digestive system, exoskeleton composition, vitamin E transport, and antioxidant system. The results indicate that the necessity of studies using the sublethal doses to evaluate the pesticides uses and risks on crops and its effects on the honey bees.

Keywords: beekeeping, honey bees, pesticides, transcriptome

Procedia PDF Downloads 113

Authors: Ayesha Sanjana Kawser Parsha

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S-acylation is an irreversible bond in which cysteine residues are linked to fatty acids palmitate (74%) or stearate (22%), either at the COOH or NH2 terminal, via a thioester linkage. There are several experimental methods that can be used to identify the S-palmitoylation site; however, since they require a lot of time, computational methods are becoming increasingly necessary. There aren't many predictors, however, that can locate S- palmitoylation sites in Arabidopsis Thaliana with sufficient accuracy. This research is based on the importance of building a better prediction tool. To identify the type of machine learning algorithm that predicts this site more accurately for the experimental dataset, several prediction tools were examined in this research, including the GPS PALM 6.0, pCysMod, GPS LIPID 1.0, CSS PALM 4.0, and NBA PALM. These analyses were conducted by constructing the receiver operating characteristics plot and the area under the curve score. An AI-driven deep learning-based prediction tool has been developed utilizing the analysis and three sequence-based input data, such as the amino acid composition, binary encoding profile, and autocorrelation features. The model was developed using five layers, two activation functions, associated parameters, and hyperparameters. The model was built using various combinations of features, and after training and validation, it performed better when all the features were present while using the experimental dataset for 8 and 10-fold cross-validations. While testing the model with unseen and new data, such as the GPS PALM 6.0 plant and pCysMod mouse, the model performed better, and the area under the curve score was near 1. It can be demonstrated that this model outperforms the prior tools in predicting the S- palmitoylation site in the experimental data set by comparing the area under curve score of 10-fold cross-validation of the new model with the established tools' area under curve score with their respective training sets. The objective of this study is to develop a prediction tool for Arabidopsis Thaliana that is more accurate than current tools, as measured by the area under the curve score. Plant food production and immunological treatment targets can both be managed by utilizing this method to forecast S- palmitoylation sites.

Keywords: S- palmitoylation, ROC PLOT, area under the curve, cross- validation score

Procedia PDF Downloads 56

Authors: Radyah Ivan, Khanferyan Roman

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Milk and dairy products are an important component of a balanced diet. Dairy products represent a heterogeneous food group of solid, semi-solid and liquid, fermented or non-fermented foods, each differing in nutrients such as fat and micronutrient content. Deficiency of milk and dairy products contributes a impact on the main health parameters of the various age groups of the population. The goal of this study was to analyze of the frequency of the consumption of milk and various groups of dairy products by students and its association with their body mass index (BMI), body composition and other physiological parameters. 388 full-time students of the Medical Institute of RUDN University (185 male and 203 female, average age was 20.4+2.2 and 21.9+1.7 y.o., respectively) took part in the cross-sectional study. Anthropometric measurements, estimation of BMI and body composition were analyzed by bioelectrical impedance analysis. The frequency of consumption of the milk and various groups of dairy products was studied using a modified questionnaire on the frequency of consumption of products. Due to the questionnaire data on the frequency of consumption of the diary products, it have been demonstrated that only 11% of respondents consume milk daily, 5% - cottage cheese, 4% and 1% - fermented natural and with fillers milk products, respectively, hard cheese -4%. The study demonstrated that about 16% of the respondents did not consume milk at all over the past month, about one third - cottage cheese, 22% - natural sour-milk products and 18% - sour-milk products with various fillers. hard cheeses and pickled cheeses didn’t consume 9% and 26% of respondents, respectively. We demonstrated the gender differences in the characteristics of consumer preferences were revealed. Thus female students are less likely to use cream, sour cream, soft cheese, milk comparing to male students. Among female students the prevalence of persons with overweight was higher (25%) than among male students (19%). A modest inverse relationship was demonstrated between daily milk intake, BMI, body composition parameters and diary products consumption (r=-0.61 and r=-0.65). The study showed daily insufficient milk and dairy products consumption by students and due to this it have been demonstrated the relationship between the low and rare consumption of diary products and main parameters of indicators of physical activity and health indicators.

Keywords: frequency of consumption, milk, dairy products, physical development, nutrition, body mass index.

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Authors: Sharon Garyn-Tal, Shoshana Shahrabani

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Military service in general, and in combat units in particular, can be physically and psychologically stressful. Therefore, type of service may have significant implications for soldiers during and after their military service including emotions, judgments and risk perceptions. Previous studies have focused on risk propensity and risky behavior among soldiers, however there is still lack of knowledge on the impact of type of army service on risk perceptions. The current study examines the effect of type of army service (combat versus non-combat service) and negative incidental emotions on risk perceptions. In 2014 a survey was conducted among 153 combat and non-combat Israeli soldiers. The survey was distributed in train stations and central bus stations in various places in Israel among soldiers waiting for the train/bus. Participants answered questions related to the levels of incidental negative emotions they felt, to their risk perceptions (chances to be hurt by terror attack, by violent crime and by car accident), and personal details including type of army service. The data in this research is unique because military service in Israel is compulsory, so that the Israeli population serving in the army is wide and diversified. The results indicate that currently serving combat participants were more pessimistic in their risk perceptions (for all type of risks) compared to the currently serving non-combat participants. Since combat participants probably experienced severe and distressing situations during their service, they became more pessimistic regarding their probabilities of being hurt in different situations in life. This result supports the availability heuristic theory and the findings of previous studies indicating that those who directly experience distressing events tend to overestimate danger. The findings also indicate that soldiers who feel higher levels of incidental fear and anger have pessimistic risk perceptions. In addition, respondents who experienced combat army service also have pessimistic risk perceptions if they feel higher levels of fear. In addition, the findings suggest that higher levels of the incidental emotions of fear and anger are related to more pessimistic risk perceptions. These results can be explained by the compulsory army service in Israel that constitutes a focused threat to soldiers' safety during their period of service. Thus, in this stressful environment, negative incidental emotions even during routine times correlate with higher risk perceptions. In conclusion, the current study results suggest that combat army service shapes risk perceptions and the way young people control their negative incidental emotions in everyday life. Recognizing the factors affecting risk perceptions among soldiers is important for better understanding the impact of army service on young people.

Keywords: army service, combat soldiers, incidental emotions, risk perceptions

Procedia PDF Downloads 220

Authors: Liam Martin, Martha Watson

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Patients with learning disabilities (LD) are at increased risk of physical and mental illness due to health inequality. To address this, NICE recommends that people from the age of 14 with a learning disability should have an annual LD health check. This consultation should include a holistic review of the patient’s physical, mental and social health needs with a view of creating an action plan to support the patient’s care. The expected standard set by the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) is that each general practice should review at least 75% of their LD patients annually. During COVID-19, there have been barriers to primary care, including health anxiety, the shift to online general practice and the increase in GP workloads. A surgery in North London wanted to assess whether they were falling short of the expected standard for LD patient annual reviews in order to optimize care post Covid-19. A baseline audit was completed to assess how many LD patients were receiving their annual reviews over the period of 29th September 2020 to 29th September 2021. This information was accessed using EMIS Web Health Care System (EMIS). Patients included were aged 14 and over as per QOF standards. Doctors were not notified of this audit taking place. Following the results of this audit, the creation of learning disability clinics was recommended. These clinics were recommended to be on the ground floor and should be a dedicated time for LD reviews. A re-audit was performed via the same process 6 months later in March 2022. At the time of the baseline audit, there were 71 patients aged 14 and over that were on the LD register. 54% of these LD patients were found to have documentation of an annual LD review within the last 12 months. None of the LD patients between the ages of 14-18 years old had received their annual review. The results were discussed with the practice, and dedicated clinics were set up to review their LD patients. A second pass of the audit was completed 6 months later. This showed an improvement, with 84% of the LD patients registered at the surgery now having a documented annual review within the last 12 months. 78% of the patients between the ages of 14-18 years old had now been reviewed. The baseline audit revealed that the practice was not meeting the expected standard for LD patient’s annual health checks as outlined by QOF, with the most neglected patients being between the ages of 14-18. Identification and awareness of this vulnerable cohort is important to ensure measures can be put into place to support their physical, mental and social wellbeing. Other practices could consider an audit of their annual LD health checks to make sure they are practicing within QOF standards, and if there is a shortfall, they could consider implementing similar actions as used here; dedicated clinics for LD patient reviews.

Keywords: COVID-19, learning disability, learning disability health review, quality and outcomes framework

Procedia PDF Downloads 68

Authors: Weeradej Cheewapattananuwong, Keeree Srivichian, Godchamon Somchai, Wasin Phusanong, Nontawat Yoddamnern

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Natural rubber used for traffic devices in Thailand has been developed and researched for several years. When compared with Dry Rubber Content (DRC), the quality of Rib Smoked Sheet (RSS) is better. However, the cost of admixtures, especially CaCO₃ and sulphur, is higher than the cost of RSS itself. In this research, Flexible Guideposts and Rubber Fender Barriers (RFB) are taken into consideration. In case of flexible guideposts, the materials used are both RSS and DRC60%, but for RFB, only RSS is used due to the controlled performance tests. The objective of flexible guideposts and RFB is to decrease a number of accidents, fatal rates, and serious injuries. Functions of both devices are to save road users and vehicles as well as to absorb impact forces from vehicles so as to decrease of serious road accidents. This leads to the mitigation methods to remedy the injury of motorists, form severity to moderate one. The solution is to find the best practice of traffic devices using natural rubber under the engineering concepts. In addition, the performances of materials, such as tensile strength and durability, are calculated for the modulus of elasticity and properties. In the laboratory, the simulation of crashes, finite element of materials, LRFD, and concrete technology methods are taken into account. After calculation, the trials' compositions of materials are mixed and tested in the laboratory. The tensile test, compressive test, and weathering or durability test are followed and based on ASTM. Furthermore, the Cycle-Repetition Test of Flexible Guideposts will be taken into consideration. The final decision is to fabricate all materials and have a real test section in the field. In RFB test, there will be 13 crash tests, 7 Pickup Truck tests, and 6 Motorcycle Tests. The test of vehicular crashes happens for the first time in Thailand, applying the trial and error methods; for example, the road crash test under the standard of NCHRP-TL3 (100 kph) is changed to the MASH 2016. This is owing to the fact that MASH 2016 is better than NCHRP in terms of speed, types, and weight of vehicles and the angle of crash. In the processes of MASH, Test Level 6 (TL-6), which is composed of 2,270 kg Pickup Truck, 100 kph, and 25 degree of crash-angle is selected. The final test for real crash will be done, and the whole system will be evaluated again in Korea. The researchers hope that the number of road accidents will decrease, and Thailand will be no more in the top tenth ranking of road accidents in the world.

Keywords: LRFD, load and resistance factor design, ASTM, american society for testing and materials, NCHRP, national cooperation highway research program, MASH, manual for assessing safety hardware

Procedia PDF Downloads 108

Authors: Josiah Damisa, Michelle Louise Richardson, Morenike Adewuyi

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Lower back pain is a significant cause of disability worldwide and associated with great implications in terms of the well-being of affected individuals and society as a whole due to its undeniable socio-economic impact. With its prevalence on the increase as a result of an aging global population, the need for novel forms of pain management is ever paramount. This review aims to provide further insight into current research regarding a role for the endocannabinoid signaling pathway as a target in the treatment of chronic pain, with particular emphasis on its potential use as part of the treatment of lower back pain. Potential advantages and limitations of cannabis-based medicines over other forms of analgesia currently licensed for medical use are discussed in addition to areas that require ongoing consideration and research. To evaluate the efficacy of cannabis-based medicines in chronic pain, studies pertaining to the role of medical cannabis in chronic disease were reviewed. Standard searches of PubMed, Google Scholar and Web of Science databases were undertaken with peer-reviewed journal articles reviewed based on the indication for pain management, cannabis treatment modality used and study outcomes. Multiple studies suggest an emerging role for cannabis-based medicines as therapeutic agents in the treatment of chronic back pain. A potential synergistic effect has also been purported if these medicines are co-administered with opiate analgesia due to the similarity of the opiate and endocannabinoid signaling pathways. However, whilst recent changes to legislation in the United Kingdom mean that cannabis is now licensed for medicinal use on NHS prescription for a number of chronic health conditions, concerns remain as to the efficacy and safety of cannabis-based medicines. Research is lacking into both their side effect profiles and the long-term effects of cannabis use. Legal and ethical considerations to the use of these products in standardized medical practice also persist due to the notoriety of cannabis as a drug of abuse. Despite this, cannabis is beginning to gain traction as an alternative or even complementary drug to opiates, with some preclinical studies showing opiate-sparing effects. Whilst there is a paucity of clinical trials in this field, there is scope for cannabinoids to be successful anti-nociceptive agents in managing chronic back pain. The ultimate aim would be to utilize cannabis-based medicines as alternative or complementary therapies, thereby reducing opiate over-reliance and providing hope to individuals who have exhausted all other forms of standard treatment.

Keywords: endocannabinoids, cannabis-based medicines, chronic pain, lower back pain

Procedia PDF Downloads 184

Authors: N. Chougui, R. Larbat

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The first economic importance of Opuntia ficus-indica relies on the production of edible fruits. This food transformation generates a large amount of by-products (seeds and peels) in addition to cladodes produced by the plant. Several studies showed the richness of these products with bioactive substances like phenolics that have potential applications. Indeed, phenolics have been associated with protection against oxidation and several biological activities responsible of different pathologies. Consequently, there has been a growing interest in identifying natural antioxidants from plants. This study falls within the framework of the industrial exploitation of by-products of the plant. The study aims to investigate the metabolic profile of three by-products (cladodes, peel seeds) regarding total phenolic content by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry approach (LC-MSn). The byproducts were first washed, crushed and stored at negative temperature. The total phenolic compounds were then extracted by aqueous-ethanolic solvent in order to be quantified and characterized by LC-MS. According to the results obtained, the peel extract was the richest in phenolic compounds (1512.58 mg GAE/100 g DM) followed by the cladode extract (629.23 GAE/100 g DM) and finally by the seed extract (88.82 GAE/100 g DM) which is mainly used for its oil. The LC-MS analysis revealed diversity in phenolics in the three extracts and allowed the identification of hydroxybenzoic acids, hydroxycinnamic acids and flavonoids. The highest complexity was observed in the seed phenolic composition; more than twenty compounds were detected that belong to acids esters among which three feruloyl sucrose isomers. Sixteen compounds belonging to hydroxybenzoic acids, hydroxycinnamic acids and flavonoids were identified in the peel extract, whereas, only nine compounds were found in the cladode extract. It is interesting to highlight that the phenolic composition of the cladode extract was closer to that of the peel exact. However, from a quantitative viewpoint, the peel extract presented the highest amounts. Piscidic and eucomic acids were the two most concentrated molecules, corresponding to 271.3 and 121.6 mg GAE/ 100g DM respectively. The identified compounds were known to have high antioxidant and antiradical potential with the ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation and to exhibit a wide range of biological and therapeutic properties. The findings highlight the importance of using the Opuntia ficus-indica by-products.

Keywords: characterization, LC-MSn analysis, Opuntia ficus-indica, phenolics

Procedia PDF Downloads 211

Authors: May B. Eclar, Romeo M. Alip, Ailyn C. Eay, Jennifer M. Alip, Michelle A. Mejica, Eloy C.eclar

Abstract:

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the educational landscape of the Philippines. The groups affected by these changes are the poor and those living in the Geographically Isolated and Depressed Areas (GIDA), such as the Indigenous Peoples (IP). This was heavily experienced by the ten IP schools in Zambales, a province in the country. With this in mind, plus other factors relative to safety, the Schools Division of Zambales selected these ten schools to conduct the pilot implementation of in-person classes two (2) years after the country-wide school closures. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of the school heads of the first ten Indigenous People’s (IP) schools that shifted from distance learning to limited in-person learning. These include the challenges met and the coping mechanism they set to overcome the challenges. The study is linked to experiential learning theory as it focuses on the idea that the best way to learn things is by having experiences). It made use of qualitative research, specifically phenomenology. All the ten school heads from the IP schools were chosen as participants in the study. Afterward, participants underwent semi-structured interviews, both individual and focus group discussions, for triangulation. Data were analyzed through thematic analysis. As a result, the study found that most IP schools did not struggle to convince parents to send their children back to school as they downplay the pandemic threat due to their geographical location. The parents struggled the most during modular learning since many of them are either illiterate, too old to teach their children, busy with their lands, or have too many children to teach. Moreover, there is a meager vaccination rate in the ten barangays where the schools are located because of local beliefs. In terms of financial needs, school heads did not find it difficult even though funding is needed to adjust the schools to the new normal because of the financial support coming from the central office. Technical assistance was also provided to the schools by division personnel. Teachers also welcomed the idea of shifting back to in-person classes, and minor challenges were met but were solved immediately through various mechanisms. Learning losses were evident since most learners struggled with essential reading, writing, and counting skills. Although the community has positively received the conduct of in-person classes, the challenges these IP schools have been experiencing pre-pandemic were also exacerbated due to the school closures. It is therefore recommended that constant monitoring and provision of support must continue to solve other challenges the ten IP schools are still experiencing due to in-person classes

Keywords: In-person learning, indigenous peoples, phenomenology, philippines

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